Sky Sports presenter and talkSPORT's new breakfast host Laura Woods delivers her latest column, focusing on Bruno Fernandes, her experience of interviewing him shortly before the UK entered lockdown, and why she sees the midfielder inspiring Manchester United's return to their former glories.
"Bruno Bruno Bruno, he comes from Sporting like Cristiano…
"He goes left, he goes right, makes defenders look sh*te…
"He's our Portuguese magnifico."
The smile crept across his face as he sang the words. Now sitting upright with purpose, where just a moment ago he'd looked shy, almost bashful. I'd pushed him to relay the song, which took the Manchester United fans a minute to make.
"No, no, no I can't." He’d insisted at first, but seconds later… out it came, in perfect delivery.
He's proud of it.
"Two days I’m here and already I have a song!"
I’m watching the footage back from that day. A sit-down interview with new signing Bruno Fernandes in the Jimmy Murphy Centre at Carrington ahead of Manchester United’s clash with Jose Mourinho’s Spurs. A fixture that, just days later, would be postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
At that time, the seriousness of the situation was in neither of our remits.
Bruno had just collected his award for Premier League Player of the Month, not a bad start to his career in England. He puts his award to one side and sits down. There are various bits of small talk going on before we begin, my bid to make him feel more comfortable in the otherwise sanitised and unnatural environment of an interview set-up.
I make a last-minute adjustment, switching my folded legs over and boot him in the shin in the process. He laughs as I apologise and it proves to be the perfect way to break the ice.
Luckily I didn't break anything else.
I came well prepared, with a list of topics lodged in my memory. As a broadcaster in sport you can never read too much. You might not use all that information in that particular moment, but you will down the road somewhere. Little gems of knowledge you can sprinkle into different arenas. Context for other conversations.
It's my job to ask the questions and tease out as much information as I can. But, perhaps most importantly, it's also my job to listen. And in this particular case, I did that more than anything else.
He spoke with confidence and so fluidly we ran out of time. Far too many words for a four-minute TV edit. Far too many for a 1000-word written article. But not too many for a career at Manchester United. Not when they're the right words. But only meaningful if you can back them up.
Download the new Sporting Life app
Click on the image for more details
Bruno Fernandes' impact on the pitch was immediate with three goals and four assists in just eight starts. Unbeaten in every game he was involved in. Gary Neville described his influence as: "Beyond what anyone could have expected."
A leader on the pitch with a relentless work ethic and dreams of etching his name into the history books alongside the greats at Old Trafford.
I read him comments made by Roy Keane: "He's lifted everybody at the club. It's as if he's been there 20 years. He's got pure quality. He looks like he's going to be a big player for United for the next few years."
Bruno listened and morphed back into that bashful character, head tilted down, big eyes looking up in embarrassment.
"These are big words from a big player," he said. "This is what I want to do in Manchester. I want to be the best I can and if possible I want to be remembered like one of the best."
Laura Woods' previous Sporting Life columns
📷 Laura Woods talks to Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl
- Inside the Premier League with Laura Woods: Debut column
- Numero Nuno: Insight into Wolves' impressive boss
- Hailing King Ralph: Credit for Southampton manager's turnaround in results
- Here's to you, Allan Saint-Maximin
- On Cheltenham, life without sport and the impact of coronavirus outbreak
- Football's funny moments, intimidating managers and missing the beautiful game
Follow Sporting Life on social - find us on or tweet
Related football content
- Premier League remaining fixtures
- Latest Bundesliga previews and tips
- Coronavirus: Returning sports
- Sporting Life App: Android & iOS
- Guide: How to bet online
Responsible gambling
We are committed in our support of responsible gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.Sky Bet's responsible gambling tools are detailed and if you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133, or visit .Further support and information can be found at and .